Best for Families - Expert review of Beijing Zoo

Last updated 26 April 2011

The pandas here get the VIP treatment, but other animals – like tigers – don’t fare so well.

With dog ownership on the rise, the Chinese are only recently becoming a nation of animal lovers. Seems it’s too late for some of the poor tigers, elephants and other creatures who endure Alcatraz-like conditions here, not to mention domestic tourists going to great, cage-rattling lengths to get a rise out of the sullen beasts. Conversely, the giant pandas are given luxury accommodation, housed in a much larger, better equipped complex that requires a supplementary ticket. The zoo park itself makes for pleasant wandering in warm weather, and the nearby Beijing Aquarium is actually pretty good.

Price advice:

Zoo entry is dirt cheap at just 15 RMB a ticket, plus an extra 5 RMB for the panda house.

Expert tips:

Combine with a visit to the Beijing Aquarium on the northeast corner of the zoo park for an animal-themed family day out.

In summer, it’s possible to get a boat from the zoo to the Summer Palace, running along an old canal.